[ScottBurson]

I could believe that a fraudster might spend a few months trying to appear legitimate, but six years?

Your point about PayPal's risk vs. their profit on this account is valid, but look at it from the other side. Let's take a more plausible scenario than one in which the account was opened for fraudulent purposes from the beginning. Let's imagine our business owner has had every intention of running a legitimate business and has been doing so, but as a result of personal misfortune is now in a state of desperation. Would it really make sense to torpedo a running business in order to get a final payout of maybe £50,000, and put oneself very much on the wrong side of the law in the process? For £500,000, I could see this, but I don't think many people, even those desperate or venal enough to ignore the ethical difficulties, would do it for an amount comparable to a year's revenue from a business they've worked for years to build.

Or conversely, if there really are fraudsters with the patience to run a legitimate business for six years in order to run a large scam, surely they would also be shooting for a payout well into six figures if not seven.

I think PayPal has made the considered decision that it's not worth their time to think about individual cases. That's their right, though they certainly are inviting competition.

[thomaslangston]

>I could believe that a fraudster might spend a few months trying to appear legitimate, but six years?

Remember to take into account (pun intended) hacked reputable accounts.